Go
ahead, tell the state insurer what you really think.

That's
the purpose of its new Web access.

It's like the marriage of Gov. Jeb Bush's
Property Insurance Reform Committee and the grass roots advocacy group
Homeowners Against Citizens.

But maybe this is something that should
have happened two years ago.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin
McCarty on Monday unveiled a new Web site that will allow anyone to submit
suggestions to Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last
resort that now insures one in three Florida homes and is often the target
of anger over rising premiums.

A link to the new Web site can also be
found on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulations's home page. But it
cannot be reached via Citizens Property's own Web page.

Bush and members of the Florida Cabinet in
September approved a motion by Attorney General Charlie Crist that
rejected a proposed plan of operations for Citizens, saying it failed to
recognize its responsibility to its policyholders. Crist has since been
elected governor.

Citizens, which has just 750 employees
compared with the thousands employed by comparable private companies, was
ordered to schedule the hearings to solicit suggestions on how it can
improve customer service and operate in a more efficient manner.

The first public hearing was Monday in Key
West. The dates and locations of the remaining two hearings have not been
finalized but will be posted on the Citizens For A Better Citizens Web
site.

After completing the hearings, Citizens
will be required to submit an amended plan of operation by Jan. 31.

The new Web site allows those not able to
attend any of the hearings to fill out a form and submit suggestions,
which will be passed on to Citizens staff.

But the Web site and the hearings come at a
time when complaints about Citizens service have dramatically declined.

"When you consider the number of
policies we have acquired in the last year, about 17,000 new policies a
week, and with one quarter of the staff of a company our size in the
private sector, it's pretty good," Citizens spokesman Rocky Scott
said Monday.

"Does
that mean we don't make mistakes? No, we do. But it's obvious we're
getting better."